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Brad Smith
Bradley Shaun Smith (born 9 April 1994) is an Australian footballer who played as a left back for Liverpool up until 2016. Liverpool career Brad Smith moved to England from Australia at the age of 14 and was spotted by Liverpool playing at the same school as fellow young left back, Jack Robinson. Like Robinson, Smith is very highly regarded and considered to have the potential to be a big success in football. He is blessed with tremendous pace - considered to be one of the fastest players in the Academy, and has had a good goalscoring record in junior teams in the past. He made his step up from the Under 16s to the Under 18s in 2010, and went on to make 23 appearances in the 2010-11 season, scoring one goal. His goal came in a match against Bolton Wanderers and was rated the third best of the 2010-11 Academy season by Liverpoolfc.tv. Smith collected the ball near his own box before going on a storming run down the entire left flank, beating several Bolton defenders before shooting low across the face of goal. His form saw him called up by England for the 2011 under-17 European Championships, where he netted a goal and his all-round performances garnered much praise. Smith made the step up to the Reserves for the 2011-12 season, for whom he made 13 appearances. In July 2012, new Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers took Smith on the first team's pre season tour of the USA. Smith's 2012-13 season with the U21s was injury-hit, and he only managed to accumulate 12 games. His season had been cut short by an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and he was out of action for ten months. He made his return on 7 October 2013, and played a starring role in the U21's 5-0 victory over Tottenham, playing as a right winger. He first claimed an assist for Ryan McLaughlin to put Liverpool 3-0 up, then hit the fourth himself with an impressive long-range curled effort from the right wing. Smith's fine form on return from injury led to him winning a place on the substitute's bench for the first team on 26 December 2013, for Liverpool's away clash with Manchester City. He made his debut in the Reds' next match, away to Chelsea as a 60th minute substitute for Joe Allen. Smith was deployed at left wing, however he struggled to make an impact as Liverpool lost 2-1. For the U21s, Smith completed the 2013-14 season with two goals in 16 appearances to his name. He went on to start the Liverpool first team's post-season friendly win over Shamrock Rovers on 14 May 2014, producing an impressive attacking performance from left back. On 7 August 2014, Smith joined League One outfit Swindon on a season-long loan for the 2014-15 season. At the end of the season, Smith's contract expired, and he was released from the club. However, Smith resigned for the club in November, and made a return to the squad on 26 November 2015, on the substitutes bench in a 2-1 win against Bordeaux. Smith made just his second appearance for the club on 2 December 2015, coming on as a 77th minute substitute in a 6-1 win at Southampton. Smith put in a fantastic cross to assist Divock Origi for his third goal of the night. On 10 December 2015, Smith made his first start for the club, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0-0 draw at Sion. Smith's next start came on 8 January 2016, when he played the full 90 minutes in a 2-2 FA Cup draw at Exeter. Smith scored his first Liverpool goal, smashing it in from 7 yards after Sheyi Ojo's cross was deflected, to equalise with around 15 minutes remaining. Smith continued to start in the replay, and picked up an assist for Joe Allen's opening goal, squaring it from the touchline after a good run. On 17 April 2016, Smith made his first Premier League start, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-1 win at Bournemouth. Two weeks later, Smith started in a 3-1 defeat at Swansea, and was sent off for two bookable offenses. Despite this, on 12 May 2016, Smith was awarded Liverpool Academy Player of the Year, showing the good progress he had made during the 2015-16 season. However on 27 July 2016, it was confirmed that Smith had left the club to join Bournemouth, for a reported fee of around £6,000,000. This came as a shock to a lot of supporters, as Smith was the club's backup left back and had impressed in the previous campaign. Honours Individual *Academy Player of the Year: 1 (2015-16) Stats External links *Brad Smith's profile on liverpoolfc.com Category:Former Players Category:Defenders